Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic have both received a heartfelt message from tennis legend Rod Laver after the Australian Open final.
Alcaraz came from a set down to beat Djokovic and win the Australian Open title for the first time, as he became the youngest man in history to complete the Career Slam.
The Spaniard took this record from his compatriot Rafael Nadal, who was watching Alcaraz and Djokovic inside Rod Laver Arena.
Alcaraz is now being congratulated by many former players, now including the man whom centre court at Melbourne Park is named after.
Rod Laver congratulates Carlos Alcaraz on winning the Australian Open
Laver is one of the greatest tennis players of all time, having won 11 Grand Slam singles titles in his career, and he is also the only man in the Open Era to have completed the Calendar Slam.
Prior to the men’s singles final even taking place, Laver had a message for both Alcaraz and Djokovic, and he has followed this up with another after the match concluded.
After Alcaraz beat Djokovic, 2-6 6-2 6-3 7-5, Laver praised both players on X (formerly known as Twitter).
Laver wrote, “Congratulations on your first AO crown and another major title, @carlosalcaraz. Your talent, courage and joy for the game light up our sport.
“@DjokerNole – what you continue to bring to tennis is beyond belief. Thank you for another remarkable fortnight and for setting the standard we all admire.”
Who finishes their career on more majors – Alcaraz or Djokovic?
Caroline Garcia sends message to Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic
Laver is far from the only former player to react to the conclusion of the men’s singles final at the Australian Open.
Former world number four Caroline Garcia, who retired from tennis last year, joined the conversation by sending a similar message to Alcaraz and Djokovic.
After Djokovic beat Jannik Sinner in the semifinals, Garcia claimed that it ended any debate over who the greatest of all time is.
Are you more or less confident that Novak Djokovic can win his 25th Grand Slam now?
In her latest post on X, Garcia remained in awe of 38-year-old Djokovic, while sending her congratulations to Alcaraz on his victory.
“Congratulations Carlos Alcaraz,” wrote Garcia. “Hard to find words to describe what Novak Djokovic is doing! Thank you for being such an inspiration and champions.”
The messages will continue flooding in for Alcaraz and Djokovic, who were part of the Australian Open final with the biggest age gap in the Open Era (15 years and 349 days).
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